Volcano Trail Central America

2007-05-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

The following are pictures from a May 2007 trip to Central America. This blog has scenes from the Honduras portion of my trip.

When you get to the bottom of the page, hit "Older Posts" to see more sets of photos.

This is the view from the plane going to La Ceiba. Honduras has many large scale industrial farms as can be seen in this photo. Lots of land appeared to be used for palm oil plantations, pineapples, and bananas/plantains. Very different from the patchwork of small family owned farms that we saw in Nicaragua.

2007-05-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Fishing boat, w/dramatic sky and mainland Honduras in the background. Taken from La Ceiba port on the way out to the Bay Islands.

2007-05-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

Utila Island of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea surrounded by the second largest barrier reef in the world. Once the home of British pirates and later of slaves brought here by the British, the official language is surprisingly English, although spoken with a decidedly musical Caribbean lilt. Many of the folks working in the restaurants and stores of mainlanders from Honduras who are somewhat resented by the native born population. Utila reminds me a Key West before Florida got so touristy.

2007-05-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Beautiful coral reefs (dark areas in water) interspersed by sandy bottom. The water was very clear and warm - perfect for snorkeling. Saw an incredible variety and number of tropical fish, along with spotted moray eel, hawks bill turtle, yellow rays and my first squid in the water.

2007-05-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

A typical house and boat on Pidgeon Cay. Note the pelican on the roof.

2007-05-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

Utila, of the Bay Islands of Honduras, has a very Caribbean look, sound and flavor. Lots of fishermen; this man is fishing for small silver fish to use as bait.

2007-05-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

A beautiful sunset scene showing our hotel on the island of Utila in Honduras. I spent my time either snorkeling, drinking beer on the hotel balcony, or sailing.

2007-05-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

View from the bus from La Ceiba to Copan. I think every dead school bus from the U.S. finds itself to Central America. On one trip our bus brakes overheated and the driver stopped, got out and poured a bucket of water on the brakes then got back in and drove for the remainder of the trip. At this bus station Marietta and I had the most wonderful homemade tortillas, avocados and fried chicken for breakfast. Of course my coffee was made with a filter that looked like an old sock, but it tasted great!

2007-05-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Gentleman walking to work under a blaze of flowers in Honduras.

2007-05-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

Men stopping for a morning chat in a public plaza. In Honduras many men wear white woven cowboy hats and carry machetes (some in very nice cases as in this photo).

2007-05-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Street scene in the town of Copan Honduras where the streets hilly and paved with cobblestones. Note the pink bookpacks carried by the young girls in their school uniforms. Hello Kitty and Winnie the Pooh were very popular on girls purses and bookpacks - just like in America.

2007-05-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Copan Mayan Ruins in Honduras. Built over several decades starting in 400 A.D. through 800 A.D. Stones were quarried locally and then hand carried to the site. Mayans were superstious about the use of objects in the shape of the sun and moon, and did not use wheels which reminded them of these celestial bodies.

Copan contains examples of structures relating to political, civic and religious life/ceremonies. This is a small pyramidal platform in the Great Plaza which was used for civic events for thousands of people. Copan was the center of a population during Mayan times of about 30,000 people. The site is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and contains the longest hieroglyphic (inscribed) text in the New World.

2007-05-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

Scarlet Macaw, national bird of Honduras, and a resident of the Copan Ruins. Carvings of macaw feathers are seen as a decorative feature on many of the sculptures/carvings at Copan. The stonework was covered with plaster and then colored red by using volcanic pigments from Guatemala. The plaster has long since been washed away by the rains.

2007-05-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

The ball court where players used their hips to hit 8 pound balls along the sloped sides of the court - to score the ball had to hit the stone Macaw 's heads at the top of the slope. The Great Plaza, thought to be used for large public events, is seen in the background.

2007-05-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Example of the high relief, nearly full-round style of sculpture that is what makes Copan famous. The person depicted here is the Thirteen Ruler call the "King of the Arts" who oversaw the development of the Great Plaza of Copan and the final version of the ball court - an early 700 A.D. park planner!

2007-05-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Me at Copan Ruins in Honduras. You can easily see from this picture how the vegetation could quickly overtake this site. Archaeologists and conservationists are actively working at this site to protect the Mayan ruins from further damage from the rains and moisture, and vegetation. Mayans calculated that the end of the world would come in 2012, so I hope they are wrong and that folks will have the opportunity to visit Copan for years and years to come.

2007-05-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Colorful street scene in Copan Honduras. Mangos are sold everywhere with your choice of hot sauce or a sprinkling of salt.

To see other pictures from my trip to Central America, go to: www.lstark-costarica.blogspot.com and www.lstark-nicaragua.blogspot.com.